So up until this point my blog has been focused on several men and the era leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In this period, we had men like Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine with there journalistic wisdom help shape America America United States of America
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Why I decided on Watergate
The reason I chose Chapter 13 Watergate was basically because it was one of the first chapters in this book that I was around for. Yes it’s true but I was a young child at the time. I do remember hearing Nixon’s resignation on the television. But really had no clue what was going on. I remember my parent’s faces clued to the TV and being told to be quiet. Today, I understand the significance of the speech and why it was the big news story that it was. I really find it fascinating that a front page story in a newspaper can uncover one of the biggest political corruption scandals to date. I do wonder though what was going through a man like President Nixon’s head at the time of this scandal. Did he really think he was going to get away with this? Imagine if the burglars were never caught what other damage could he have created. I really enjoy researching and reading about the background of this story and how 2 journalists started with a break-in story can lead to the resignation of the leaders of a powerhouse nation like the United States of America.
Watergate Summary: The Biggest Political Corruption Scandal in American History
The year is 1972. The man in charge of our country is a man named Richard Milhous Nixon. The events that unfold over the next 2 years will go down as a first in American History. The end result is the President of the United States of America United States
The events all started on June 17th, 1972 in our nation capital. The Washington Police caught 5 men in suits wearing surgical gloves at the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate office complex. These men were caught trying to place listening devices in the offices. The supplies that the burglars were caught with included: lock picks, $2300.00 in cash all in $100 bills, walkie talkies, a device to listen to police calls, film, 2 cameras and tear gas guns. To me, smells like trouble. The Washington Post, the leading newspaper in Washington
The now famous reporters had done everything they could to get evidence to back there story on the Watergate scandal. They begged, knocked on endless doors, pleaded, and even lied to get the information they needed to verify there stories. They didn’t rely on a whistleblower but they would get the biggest break in the scandal which would be dubbed “Deep Throat”. This was a reference to a popular pornographic movie at the time. It wasn’t until 2005 that the source behind the name was revealed. The person behind the infamous name was none other then the #2 man at the head of the FBI at the time, W. Mark Felt. He had verified many of the facts at the time of the scandal. All of these this had to be verified before Woodstein had reported them in the Post. Basically, the Washington Post had run with the stories of the Watergate scandal alone.
A lot of the other newspapers, television stations, news agencies accused the Post of overplaying the story. The Post pretty much had been alone. Even the top dogs, The New York Times, the AP and UPI hadn’t reported on the scandal. After months of the investigation after the burglaries the White House stood its ground. They admitted nothing, downplayed everything. Nixon aides cut off access to administration sources and threatened to cancel the licenses of 2 Florida TV stations the Post had owned. The abuse of power to starting to be evident, The attacks by the Post intensified they reported that the White House Chief of Staff, Haldeman had participated in the political corruption, Nixon’s target continued to be the TV stations in Florida. According to Oval Office tape recordings the president instructed aides to have political supporters in Jacksonville and Miami
Although the Washington Post deserves most of the credit, the Fourth Estate alone didn’t expose the Watergate scandal. The corruption was of such monumental proportions that it took all arms of the government to expose the President and all his cohorts. The judicial branch entered when they indicted the 5 burglars and there 2 bosses. E. Howard hunt and G. Gordon Liddy. In January 1973, Judge Sirica announced he wasn’t satisfied with the 7 indictments and that they didn’t tell the complete story. One of the burglars James McCord then broke his silence in exchange for a lighter sentence. His testimony confirmed most of the reporting of Woodstein. A federal grand jury then indicted 3 of Nixon’s closest aides, John Mitchell, Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. Sirica demanded to listen to Nixon’s secret Oval Office tape recordings. The legislative branch voted to establish a committee to investigate charges of corruption in the 1972 Presidential election. The legislative branch brought everything to a climax when the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted 3 articles of impeachment in July 1974, charging President Nixon of obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress for defying committee subpoenas. In May 1973 Attorney General Richardson appointed Archibald Cox to investigate Watergate. Judge Sirica wanted to hear the White House tapes, Nixon refused to release them. An appeals court ruled in Sirica favor and Cox said that he would continue to seek the tapes from the White House. Nixon told Richardson Richardson 
So before the impeachment process could be completed on August 9th 1974 President Richard Milhous Nixon resigned from office. To this day he is the only President to resign. So as we can see from the results of one man’s reporting on a story in the nations capital we have uncovered how the power of the press works.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Everything you want to know about Watergate by: The Washington Post
Research the entire Watergate scandal in this 4 part series by the Washington Post
Link, Photos and Videos are at
This is how it all started..........
It all started with a reporter named Bob Woodard. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest investigative reporters of all time, the cream of the crop, an all-star, a legend. Every journalist knows who he is. Every journalist I would imagine would want to be like him. I know I would. He was hired by The Washington Post in 1971 as a reporter. So here is the scenario, June 17, 1972, the phone rings the in the middle of the night, barely awake he learns five men have broken into the Watergate Hotel complex at the Democratic National headquarters in Washington D.C. Here are the actual notes he wrote in his notebook.
The Washington Post and Watergate
Another site I found with information on the Washington Post and Watergate:
President Richard Nixon -" The Resignation"
It all started with a front page story in the Washington Post about a burglary. It ended with the resignation of the President of the United States of America. A first in United States history. Listen to the video of President Nixon's resignation below:
Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEOGJJ7UKFM
Woodward and Bernstein: Lighting the Fire - Parts 1 and 2
Watch these two very informative video on the 2 men that were very instrumental in changing American History
Link to Part 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl0eb5TaPgs
Time magazine article on "DeepThroat"
The confidential source of Woodward and Bernstein was nicknamed “Deep Throat" He was a friend of Woodward they had meet before Watergate. He was anonymous until 2005 when close to death and revealed to be William Mark Felt Sr; #2 in command of the FBI at the time of Watergate. He was a trusted and an official of the Executive Branch in the government. The way Woodward met with "Deep Throat" was very clever. Remember he stayed anonymous. Woodward would send a signal to him by moving a flower pot with a red flag in it to the rear of his apartment balcony; then the two would meet about 2 a.m. in an underground garage. If Deep Throat wanted to set up a meeting, he would send a message to Woodward's through his morning copy of the New York Times; on the lower corner of page 20, clock hands would be drawn to indicate the time of the rendezvous. Woodward never figured out how "Deep Throat" got hold of his newspaper. "Deep Throat" had great connections be he didn’t want to send Woodward any new information. His main focus was to back up the information that Woodward had and keep him away from false leads.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943626,00.html
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943626,00.html
Photo of Washington Post journalists at work during Watergate
Woodward and Bernstein meeting with the Washington Post's Publisher
Katharine Graham, Managing Editor Howard Simons and Executive Editor
Ben Bradlee.
Katharine Graham, Managing Editor Howard Simons and Executive Editor
Ben Bradlee.
Project 3 Wrap-up
As you can see, the events that unfolded from the Washington Post's story on the break-in at the Watergate office complex to the resignation of President Nixon changed American History. At the time of the initial story on one really knew the magnitude that this story would create. Again, I want to mention that I enjoyed reading and researching the information in this era basically because it was a story that evolved when I was a young boy. I would like to mention that the political corruption that was revealed really shed a negative light on President Nixon even though he was instrumental in the ending of the Vietnam War and was famous for his positive effect on the relations that developed with China.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Who was Father Coughlin?? A Brief History:
Charles Coughlin was born on October 25, 1891, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to Irish-Catholic parents. He grew up under strict Catholic rule. Coughlin graduated from the University of Toronto in 1911. He then attended St. Basil's Seminary in Toronto, there he grew fond of the idea of priesthood as a teen he was then ordained as a Catholic priest in 1916. Father Coughlin taught for seven years at the Assumption College in Windsor, Ontario, and made his move to the States in 1923, by way of Detroit, Michigan.
Father Coughlin first broadcast was in 1926, broadcasting weekly sermons over the radio. By the early 1930s the content of his broadcasts had shifted from religion to economics and politics. Most of the nation was focused on matters of economics and politics being that the country was in the aftermath of the Great Depression, so was Father Coughlin. At first, he was a supporter of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Father Coughlin had a very well-developed theory that he phrased “social justice," predicated on monetary reforms. Father Coughlin considered President Roosevelt a reformer like himself. Roosevelt's approach during his inaugural address totally promised to "drive the money changers from the temple." Coughlin's was in total agreement since a big part of his own message was monetary reform. Roosevelt's early monetary policy seemed to fulfill this promise and so Coughlin viewed him as the savior of the nation. Later in the 1930s his focus shifted against President Roosevelt and he then became one of his ruthless critics. His program of "social justice" was a very radical challenge to capitalism and too many of the political institutions of his day. When President Roosevelt failed to follow-on with additional radical reforms, Coughlin turned against him. By 1936, he would support a third-party candidacy called the Union Party. This party did not last very long. It was against President Roosevelt. He had some harsh words for the President he said:
"The great betrayer and liar, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who promised to drive the money changers from the temple, had succeeded [only] in driving the farmers from their homesteads and the citizens from their homes in the cities. . . I ask you to purge the man who claims to be a Democrat, from the Democratic Party, and I mean Franklin Double-Crossing Roosevelt."
Father Coughlin's influence on America Depression-era America was massive. Millions of Americans listened to his weekly radio broadcast. At the height of his popularity, one-third of the nation was tuned into his weekly broadcasts. In the early 1930s, Coughlin was, questionably one of the most influential men in America. Although his core message was one of economic populism, his sermons also included attacks on well-known Jewish figures. These attacks that many people considered evidence of anti-Semitism. His broadcasts became increasingly controversial. In 1940 much to his dismay his superiors in the Catholic Church forced him to stop his broadcasts and return to his work as a parish priest.
Father Coughlin first broadcast was in 1926, broadcasting weekly sermons over the radio. By the early 1930s the content of his broadcasts had shifted from religion to economics and politics. Most of the nation was focused on matters of economics and politics being that the country was in the aftermath of the Great Depression, so was Father Coughlin. At first, he was a supporter of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Father Coughlin had a very well-developed theory that he phrased “social justice," predicated on monetary reforms. Father Coughlin considered President Roosevelt a reformer like himself. Roosevelt's approach during his inaugural address totally promised to "drive the money changers from the temple." Coughlin's was in total agreement since a big part of his own message was monetary reform. Roosevelt's early monetary policy seemed to fulfill this promise and so Coughlin viewed him as the savior of the nation. Later in the 1930s his focus shifted against President Roosevelt and he then became one of his ruthless critics. His program of "social justice" was a very radical challenge to capitalism and too many of the political institutions of his day. When President Roosevelt failed to follow-on with additional radical reforms, Coughlin turned against him. By 1936, he would support a third-party candidacy called the Union Party. This party did not last very long. It was against President Roosevelt. He had some harsh words for the President he said:
"The great betrayer and liar, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who promised to drive the money changers from the temple, had succeeded [only] in driving the farmers from their homesteads and the citizens from their homes in the cities. . . I ask you to purge the man who claims to be a Democrat, from the Democratic Party, and I mean Franklin Double-Crossing Roosevelt."
Father Coughlin's influence on America Depression-era America was massive. Millions of Americans listened to his weekly radio broadcast. At the height of his popularity, one-third of the nation was tuned into his weekly broadcasts. In the early 1930s, Coughlin was, questionably one of the most influential men in America. Although his core message was one of economic populism, his sermons also included attacks on well-known Jewish figures. These attacks that many people considered evidence of anti-Semitism. His broadcasts became increasingly controversial. In 1940 much to his dismay his superiors in the Catholic Church forced him to stop his broadcasts and return to his work as a parish priest.
My personal thoughts and why I chose the chapter on Father Coughlin
I chose Chapter 8, Father Coughlin, in Mightier than the Sword. One of the main reasons I chose this chapter is because I find it baffling as to why person can be so ignorant and close-minded in our world. The thing that really interested me in my research and reading through my blog was that I really didn't find any significant reason to one question….Why?? Why did this man go from a boy being raised in a Catholic home to a priest in the Catholic Church to spewing so much hate and anger? Did something in his upbringing spark this change in personality? Another reason I chose this chapter is because I find it fascinating that one man can have so much power and influence with his words and writings to have people become followers. There is a small part of me that is envious of the man. Don’t get me wrong in no way shape or form am I a bigot. The reason I am envious is because there is a part of me that wishes I could have the power that he had. The only difference I would have would be that I could spread positive and use it to help the people of this world. I hope the information I have gathered for you in this second project is useful. It has really opened up my eyes.
The Different Sides of Father Coughlin
Throughout this second blog project which is focused the way journalism has influenced history I will show the different sides of Father Coughlin. From the year he was born, 1891 until about 1934 Father Coughlin was viewed as being more a positive than negative. He was very strong about his Catholic faith. Father Coughlin was ordained to the priesthood in 1916. In my opinion from 1916 until 1923 when he taught at the Assumption College in Windsor Ontario he did a great service and gave to others. He then moved to Royal Oak, Michigan’s National Shrine in the Little Flower. In 1926 he began radio broadcasts on station WJR. This was in response to the cross burnings by the Ku Klux Klan on the grounds of the church, At that time he gave a weekly hour long radio program. In 1931 the CBS radio network dropped free sponsorship after Coughlin refused to accept network demands. CBS wanted his scripts to be reviewed prior to broadcast. At that time he raised enough money to create his own national network. Father Coughlin was then able to reached millions of listeners.
Images of Father Coughlin....."From a Child to Hater"
Father Coughlin as a Child
Image from: http://info.detnews.com/dn/history/coughlin/images/coughboy.gif
Image from: http://info.detnews.com/dn/history/coughlin/images/coughboy.gif
Against the KKK
Father Coughlin was outspoken against much of the mayhem that was going on in his own country, this included the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK planned to punish Father Coughlin for his bold and harsh speeches. They planned on burning a blazing cross on the lawn of his church. In this photo you see Father Coughlin trying to put out the fire on a burning cross.
His Holiness Father Coughlin
This is short video of the before, during and after of Father Coughlin.
Coughlin from Priest to "Radio Priest"
In 1926, Father Coughlin was assigned as to be a pastor of a new church in a suburb of Detroit Detroit
Everything you need to know about the "Radio Priest"
Click the link below for all the info on the life of the Radio Priest":
www.fathercoughlin.com
Here you will find a website dedicated to Father Coughlin. You can also listen to his old radio sermons: http://www.fathercoughlin.com/#
The Beginning of "Hate Radio"
Father Coughlin’s radio broadcasts were a regular fixture in American politics in the 1930”s. A political radical and, a zealous democrat, he was seen as a bigot who freely vented angry, irrational charges and allegations. His radio broadcasts drew as many as 45 million listeners. Coughlin frequently and vigorously attacked capitalism, communism, socialism, and dictatorship. By the mid-1930s, his talks took on a nasty edge as he combined harsh attacks on Roosevelt as the tool of international Jewish bankers with praise for the fascist leaders Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler. The “Radio Priest’s” relentless anti-elitism pushed Roosevelt to sharpen his own critiques of elites, and in that sense Coughlin had a powerful impact on American politics beyond his immediate radio audience. In 1937 he gave a sermon, called “Twenty Years Ago,” reflected much of what made Coughlin popular. In 1935 Father Coughlin created the National Union for Social Justice. This was a political action group that would represent the interests of his listeners in Washington, D.C. By the 1936 presidential election the National Union for Social Justice had over one million paying members. In 1936, Coughlin founded a journal entitled Social Justice, providing another venue to promote his populist ideology. Over the years Coughlin had kept his anti-Semitism to himself while he was on the air. After his split with President Roosevelt and with the rise of National Socialism and Fascism in Europe, however, he attacked Jews explicitly in his broadcasts. Some historians attribute this change to Coughlin taking advantage of rising anti-Semitism around the world in order to keep himself connected.. Based on his speeches, and writings, he appears to have had significant anti-Semitic sentiment throughout his career. For years, Coughlin had publicly derided “international bankers,” a phrase that most of his listeners understood to mean Jewish bankers.
"The Coughlin-ites"
In this cartoon we have "Coughlin-ites" which refer to the followers of Charles Coughlin. Coughlin was an anti-semitic who sympathized with the Nazi"s. The "Coughlin-ites" are crying out against the Britians rather than Germany.
Photo from: eutychusnerd.blogspot.com
On the cover of Time magazine
Here is an image of Father Coughlin making it to the cover of Time Magazine
Image from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Elmer_Thomas_and_Charles_Coughlin_on_Time_magazine_1934.jpg
Interested in reading about Father Coughlin??
You can purchase a book about the "Radio Priest" just click the link below:
The weekly magazine "Social Justice"
Father Coughlin began publication of a weekly magazine called Social Justice during this period. Coughlin claimed that Marxist atheism in Europe was a Jewish plot against America. The December 5, 1938 issue of Social Justice included an article by Coughlin which resembled a speech made by Joseph Goebbels on September 13, 1935 attacking Jews, and communists, with some sections being copied verbatim by Coughlin from an English translation of the Goebbels speech. At a rally in the Bronx in 1938, he alledgely gave a Nazi salute and said, "When we get through with the Jews in America, they'll think the treatment they received in Germany was nothing." Coughlin did state "Nothing can be gained by linking ourselves with any organization which is engaged in agitating racial animosities or propagating racial hatreds." Some other articles Coughlin lambasted “Jewish” financiers and their control over world politics, culminating with a story recounting his own version of the infamous 20th Century forgery, the so-called Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which purported to be minutes of meetings of Jewish leaders as they plotted to take over the world. As war approached, Coughlin's politics shifted further toward the extreme right. He promoted fascist dictatorship and authoritarian government as the only cure to the ills of democracy and capitalism. He associated with fascist leaders and known antisemitic thinkers in Great Britain and the United States, including.
In a 1938 broadcast, Coughlin helped inspire and publicize the creation of the Christian Front, a militia-like organization that excluded Jews and promised to defend the country from communists and Jews. The Front organized “Buy Christian” rallies throughout the country. In New York City, police arrested several of the militiamen for harassing Jews on the street, many of them seniors, women, and children. In the context of increasingly violent language, the Christian Front made national news in 1940, when the FBI arrested 18 members in Brooklyn, New York, on suspicion of conspiring to overthrow the government. Its members continued to attract headlines during the early 1940s for violent acts against Jews. An isolationist from the beginning of his career, Coughlin had blamed Jews for inciting the strife in Europe. He vigorously opposed any intervention by the United States government. Even after the Japanese navy and air force attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Coughlin denounced the entry of the United States into World War II, claiming that the Jews had planned the war for their own benefit and had conspired to involve the United States. This last missive proved to be his undoing, however, for the U.S. Government had been tracking Coughlin even before Pearl Harbor. In September 1941 his request for a passport was denied by the State Department with the stated reason: “reported pro-Nazi.” Coughlin's comments after Pearl Harbor and changing public sentiment towards entry into the war gave the government its opportunity. In 1942, agents of the FBI raided Coughlin's church and seized all parish records and personal papers. During the investigation, U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle argued that Coughlin's magazine Social Justice had repeated “in this country the lines of enemy propaganda warfare being waged against this country from abroad.”
While U.S. authorities permitted Coughlin to continue publishing his magazine, it prohibited him from using the U.S. Postal Service to disseminate it. On May 1, 1942, Archbishop Edward Mooney, the new leader of the Catholic Church in Detroit, instructed Coughlin to cease all non-pastoral activities on pain of being defrocked.
In a 1938 broadcast, Coughlin helped inspire and publicize the creation of the Christian Front, a militia-like organization that excluded Jews and promised to defend the country from communists and Jews. The Front organized “Buy Christian” rallies throughout the country. In New York City, police arrested several of the militiamen for harassing Jews on the street, many of them seniors, women, and children. In the context of increasingly violent language, the Christian Front made national news in 1940, when the FBI arrested 18 members in Brooklyn, New York, on suspicion of conspiring to overthrow the government. Its members continued to attract headlines during the early 1940s for violent acts against Jews. An isolationist from the beginning of his career, Coughlin had blamed Jews for inciting the strife in Europe. He vigorously opposed any intervention by the United States government. Even after the Japanese navy and air force attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Coughlin denounced the entry of the United States into World War II, claiming that the Jews had planned the war for their own benefit and had conspired to involve the United States. This last missive proved to be his undoing, however, for the U.S. Government had been tracking Coughlin even before Pearl Harbor. In September 1941 his request for a passport was denied by the State Department with the stated reason: “reported pro-Nazi.” Coughlin's comments after Pearl Harbor and changing public sentiment towards entry into the war gave the government its opportunity. In 1942, agents of the FBI raided Coughlin's church and seized all parish records and personal papers. During the investigation, U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle argued that Coughlin's magazine Social Justice had repeated “in this country the lines of enemy propaganda warfare being waged against this country from abroad.”
While U.S. authorities permitted Coughlin to continue publishing his magazine, it prohibited him from using the U.S. Postal Service to disseminate it. On May 1, 1942, Archbishop Edward Mooney, the new leader of the Catholic Church in Detroit, instructed Coughlin to cease all non-pastoral activities on pain of being defrocked.
"In the End"
The United States entered World War II and the National Association of Broadcaster brought his radio days to an end. The U.S Post Office stopped mailing out his weekly newspaper “Social Justice”.
In my own words "Finally"
On 1st May 1942, Archbishop Francis Mooney ordered Coughlin to bring an end to his political opinions. The Archbishop warned Father Coughlin if he refused he would be defrocked. Charles Edward Coughlin retired from the Shrine of the Little Flower Church in 1966. He continued to writing his hateful propaganda until his death on 27th October, 1979.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
"Sowing the Seeds of Revolution"
This blog that I am creating is focused on early American history and how the power of journalism has created and has had an overwhelming effect on what has become America as we know it today. I will be using the text by Rodger Streitmatter titled Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media have Shaped American History as the basis covering certain key milestones during the period of 1763-1776. The first chapter is called "Sowing the Seeds of the Revolution". This chapter focuses on how certain men in American History help influence the events by way of their journalistic techniques and writings. These men did definitely make the difference with their words. In 1768-1769 Sam Adams, cousin of John Adams published a series of 35 weekly articles in the New York Journal. This was today’s precursor to what we know today as the Associated Press. These articles spread the word to everyone in the colonies of the way Boston Massachusetts was being occupied by British troops; this in turn brought forth what we know today as the Boston Massacre. Another talented man who received great fame as one of the most influential journalists during the Revolutionary period was Thomas Paine. He is most famous for Common Sense. This encouraged that the American colonists should rebel against the British throne. It also said that the colonist deserved more and that they should deserve much more. In 1776 Thomas Paine joined the Continental Army. At George Washington's request to rally the troops with some positive inspiration Thomas Paine wrote The Crisis. It was published in the Pennsylvania Journal. These publications from the 1760"s and 1770"s help create a revolt against the British and force the colonists to gain an independence of there own. This independence helped form the America as we know it today.
I chose the topic because.....
The reason I chose the topic over the others was for my interest in the power that the pen had in the period from 1763 to 1776. The fact was that the early settlers of this country were only able to really believe what others had told them. Everything was based on word of mouth. We have to remember that this is a time when there wasn't any of the luxuries we have today. There were no TV's, radios, phones and definitely no computers. The thing that amazes me is the way a writer is able to write something and have it distributed to people to read with the notion that it is true. So we look back at a beginning of our history when a man named Samuel Adams shared his beliefs and the power behind his words developed to help people start the fight against the British to form America. “The land of the free”. It took many years from when he published the "Journal of Occurrences" to the time when we gained our independence. There is no doubt that the power that the men used with their published accounts made us the country we are today.
"American History from 1763-1776 and the ties that bind it to Journalism"
I will first give you a short synopsis of the historical events from 1763-1776. The British were successful in defeating the French in the French and Indian War. This ended in 1763. After the war the British now had to face the problem of being the sole major power on American soil. The two short term problems that the British faced were in dealing with the “Indian” problem and the debt they accrued in defeating the French and Indian tribes. The first problem was taken care of in a 1763 decree to keep British colonial efforts east of the Appalachian Mountains. The second problem was not so easy to contain. Over the next 13 years the British went from colonial rulers to hated colonial overlords in the eyes of the American colonists.
There were a series of Acts that followed over the next several years. There was British Parliament’s Navigation Act; this was the tightened regulations on sea trade and the use of the British navy and the Proclamation of 1763. In 1764 the Sugar Act had the British putting a 3 cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. The taxes were raised without the consent of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. The Currency Act of 1764 prohibited the printing and use of colonial currency and forced that the colonists sole use of currency be that of the British. The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed all paper items and transactions which damaged the growing American newspaper industry. With all the frustration mounting from the Stamp Act, Sam Adams and Patrick Henry led the fight and creation what was known as the Sons of Liberty. This was created in 1765. There was a protest to the Stamp Act. The dissident leaders in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 were not strong enough to force the hand of the British. While the repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 they established the Declaratory Act. This Act included a paramilitary function to administrative and enforcement structures within the colonies. This included more troops into Boston. Boston at the time was a hot spot towards the protest of the Stamp Act. The increased tension between the British troops and the colonist led to the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. After the Boston Massacre there was a decrease in tension in the colonies from 1771-1773. This did not mean that the protestors were not hard at work. Sam Adams and the sons of Liberty were responsible for spreading propaganda to paint a picture of a tyrannical government taking advantage of the American colonists. The Tea Act Crisis of 1773-1774 was responsible for the last stage of escalation toward American Revolution. The most famous event before the signing of the Declarations of Independence is probably the December 16, 1773, Boston Tea Party which was a protest of the taxation and enforcement of duties on tea by throwing tea in the Boston Harbor.
The British response was the Intolerable Acts which closed the Boston Harbor. The First Constitutional Congress met in 1774 and their resolution was to increase economic boycotts and stand up to the lack of representation that the British allowed the American colonists. Everything came to a head in 1775 and 1776 with the Americans and British battling in the towns of Lexington and Corcord. In 1776 the Americans declare independence. In July of that year the Americans signed the Declaration of Independence. So now that I have given you a brief history of the events of 1763-1776 I will now begin to focus on how these events came about with the influence of journalism and the journalist of this era in American history.
There were a series of Acts that followed over the next several years. There was British Parliament’s Navigation Act; this was the tightened regulations on sea trade and the use of the British navy and the Proclamation of 1763. In 1764 the Sugar Act had the British putting a 3 cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. The taxes were raised without the consent of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. The Currency Act of 1764 prohibited the printing and use of colonial currency and forced that the colonists sole use of currency be that of the British. The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed all paper items and transactions which damaged the growing American newspaper industry. With all the frustration mounting from the Stamp Act, Sam Adams and Patrick Henry led the fight and creation what was known as the Sons of Liberty. This was created in 1765. There was a protest to the Stamp Act. The dissident leaders in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 were not strong enough to force the hand of the British. While the repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 they established the Declaratory Act. This Act included a paramilitary function to administrative and enforcement structures within the colonies. This included more troops into Boston. Boston at the time was a hot spot towards the protest of the Stamp Act. The increased tension between the British troops and the colonist led to the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. After the Boston Massacre there was a decrease in tension in the colonies from 1771-1773. This did not mean that the protestors were not hard at work. Sam Adams and the sons of Liberty were responsible for spreading propaganda to paint a picture of a tyrannical government taking advantage of the American colonists. The Tea Act Crisis of 1773-1774 was responsible for the last stage of escalation toward American Revolution. The most famous event before the signing of the Declarations of Independence is probably the December 16, 1773, Boston Tea Party which was a protest of the taxation and enforcement of duties on tea by throwing tea in the Boston Harbor.
The British response was the Intolerable Acts which closed the Boston Harbor. The First Constitutional Congress met in 1774 and their resolution was to increase economic boycotts and stand up to the lack of representation that the British allowed the American colonists. Everything came to a head in 1775 and 1776 with the Americans and British battling in the towns of Lexington and Corcord. In 1776 the Americans declare independence. In July of that year the Americans signed the Declaration of Independence. So now that I have given you a brief history of the events of 1763-1776 I will now begin to focus on how these events came about with the influence of journalism and the journalist of this era in American history.
Outline
Journalism….”1763-1776”
How key milestones in journalism from 1763 until 1776 has helped mold the United States as we know it today.
I. Early history:
- Faces of 1763 to 1776
- 1763: Victory of British over France
II. Sam Adams
- Bio
- Journal of Occurrences 1768-1769
III. Boston Massacre 1770
IV. Thomas Paine:
- Bio
- Common Sense 1776
- The Crisis 1776
V. Conclusion of how Journalism changed 1763-1776
Faces and Images that have influenced Journalism from: 1763-1776
Photo of Sam Adams
Photo from: http://www.nndb.com/people/732/000048588/
Photo of Thomas Paine
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Burial site of the 5 men killed in the Boston Massacre: Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, Crispus Attucks & Patrick Carr |
 Photo of Crispus Attucks Killed in Boston Massacre |
Photo from Wikimedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Crispus_Attucks.jpg The event began on King Street, today known as State Street, Boston on March 5, 1770 This famous depiction of the event was engraved by Paul Revere, (based on a drawing by Henry Pelham), colored by Christian Remick, and printed by Benjamin Ededs Photo from Google Images: http://llamabutchers.mu.nu/Boston%20Massacre%20Revere.jpg |
"Join or Die"
"Join or Die"
The image above was originally published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin. It was published during the French and Indian War. It is the best way to portray the mindset of what the colonists had to have in order to push forward and thrive. In the image the serpent is divided into eight parts, with each part representing a British American colony or region. The political cartoon was meant to depict the importance of colonial unity. During this time each colony was independant. The cartoon was recycled during the time of the American Revolution, again to stress the monumental importance of unity among the colonies if they had any hope of defeating the British along with gaining freedom. The cartoon was a symbol of democracy and freedom during the war. By 1774 the segments of the snake had grown together, and the motto had been changed to read: "United Now Alive and Free Firm on this Basis Liberty Shall Stand and Thus Supported Ever Bless Our Land Till Time Becomes Eternity"
Photo from: http://possumblog.mu.nu/images/join_or_die.jpg
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sam Adams and his journalistic contribution
In my opinion Sam Adams had such a major impact on journalism and his writings have gone down in history as beyond powerful in what we know today as America. Sam Adams worked at the Boston Gazette. Adams wrote essays about his political ideas. These ideas were developing in Boston. The eager publishers were quickly to get his writings to print. The British passed the Sugar Act in 1764. This Act put a 3 cent tax on foreign sugar and increased taxes on coffee, and certain kinds of wine. It banned importation of rum and French wines. The affected merchants were very vocal. Besides, the taxes were raised without the consent of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. Then the British passed an even harsher tax law than the Sugar Act. This tax law was the Stamp Act of 1765, which placed a tax on printed materials throughout the American colonies.
Adams's sizzling essays and continued determination helped harden American opinion against the Stamp Act. His columns in the Boston Gazette newspaper sent a flood of abuse against the British government. He wrote numerous newspaper articles that stirred his readers' anger at the British. Adams appealed to American radicals and communicated with leaders in other colonies. By the time of the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts on April 17, 1775, (the beginning of the Revolutionary War) his career and his popularity began to rise. Adams was then elected into the Massachusetts legislature.
I really find it amazing that the words of one man, like Sam Adams led to a following of people in the colonies that were swayed into believing that they deserved to be on their own and this led to a push to become the independent land that is known today as America.
Who was Samuel Adams ???
Check out the link which includes a biography about Samuel Adams:
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/samuel-adams-dlb/
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/samuel-adams-dlb/
Quote from a Samuel Adams speech:
Here is a quote from a Samuel Adams speech:
Photo from Google Images: http://www.piecemakers.com/govern.html
Adam's and his "Journal"
The "Journal of Occurrences” was a series of newspaper articles published from 1768 to 1769 in the New York Journal chronicling the occupation of Boston Massachusetts by the British Army is usually attributed to Samuel Adams the clerk of the Massachusetts house of Representatives.
The occupation of Boston arose from colonial resistance to the Townshend Act passed by the British Parliament in 1767. In response to acts, the Massachusetts House of Representatives issued a circular letter in February 1768. Written primarily by Samuel Adams, the circular letter argued that the Townshend Acts were a violation of the British Constitution because they taxed British subjects without their consent. The first installment of the "Journal" was published on October 13, 1768, and continued once a week for more than a year. In an innovative approach for an era without professional newspaper reporters, the "Journal" presented a narrative of shocking events in Boston to the outside world. Although the authors claimed that what they wrote was "strictly fact", the events depicted in the articles were apparently exaggerated. Boston was overrun by unruly British soldiers, who allegedly assaulted men and raped women
Although British officials in Boston insisted that the events depicted in the "Journal of Occurrences” were mostly untrue the articles were widely reprinted and helped build the sentiment that eventually produced the American Revolution.
The Samuel Adams Scholarship in Journalism
If your interested in obtaining a degree in Journalism you may be eligible for a scholarship from Patrick Henry College in Purcellville Virginia.
Also check out the link about Patrick Henry College:
The 5 "W"s of the Boston Massacre
Who: The Americans and British
What: Known as the Boston Massacre
Where: King Street, Boston, Massachusetts
When: March 5, 1770
Why: America didn’t want the British troops around
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5th, 1770 between a mob of American patriots and British troops. The Patriots threw snowballs, stones, and sticks at the British. Five colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the angry of the public. The presence of British troops in the city of Boston was increasingly unwelcome. The riot began when about 50 citizens attacked a British lookout.
A British officer, Thomas Preston, had brought in additional soldiers these men were also attacked, so the soldiers fired into the mob, killing 3 on the spot. The men killed were a black sailor named Crispus Attucks, a rope maker Samuel Gray, and a mariner named James Caldwell, The riot also wounded 8 other men. Two of the men later died, they were Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr.
A town meeting was called demanding the removal of the British and the trial of Captain Preston and his men for murder. They were later acquitted and release. Later, two of the British soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter.
The Boston Massacre was a signal event leading to the Revolutionary War. It led directly to the Royal Governor evacuating the occupying army from the town of Boston. It would soon bring the revolution to armed revolt throughout the colonies.
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